CPR
by ShadowManipulator7
Summary: Sam is sick in the middle of class, slowly dying, so how does Danny help? '-.-'


CPR

Sam's POV

"I'm telling you, dude, Valerie likes geeks!" Tucker argued.

"How would you know that? You weren't the one who heard she liked quiet guys." Danny argued back at his best friend.

"What are you idiots going on about?" I asked them. I had walked up to my two best friends - Danny Fenton (AKA, Danny Phantom) and Tucker Foley - when I had heard what Tucker had said to Danny. It annoyed me so much when I thought why the two boys liked the popular girls so much. They were not the hottest girls in the school, not remotely the smartest, or even the nicest. Paulina fit every one of those descriptions, but Valerie was okay sometimes. But it still made my eye twitch to think about these stupid popular kids.

Danny and Tucker's new argument of the day: who could win a date with Valerie.

My life sucks, I know.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of her coffin." Tucker joked. He shifted his red beret on his head so it was covering his hair. His green eyes were staring at me, smiling with glee at his witty comeback.

I coughed into my sleeve. "Don't bother me Tucker, or I'll make your glasses permanent on your face."

Tucker laughed, but didn't reply.

"Jeez Sam, what's wrong with you today?" Danny asked, his crystal-ice eyes shimmering. His black hair fell in front of his left eye; he pushed it out the way as he continued. "I know you're usually like this, but you seem more depressed today. Is something wrong?"

I coughed again. "I feel like crap, how's that for an answer?"

Danny looked concerned.

"It's fine." I said quickly before he could offer to take me home. "I think it's just a light cold. Nothing I can't handle. I'm tough." However, more coughs came from my mouth. I was going to have a very long day indeed. Truth be told, I didn't feel alright. When I woke up my stomach was in pain, my throat burned, and I could have sworn something tasted like blood when I was eating cereal this morning. I had ignored everything and just came to school, acting as the strong camper that I was.

"You don't sound okay, Sam. You sound like you're dying." Tucker commented.

I glared at him and stepped on his foot.

"OW!" He yelled.

"Do you believe I'm okay now?" I hissed at him.

The bell rang above our heads. It hurt my ears and pounded in my head, but I followed Danny and Tucker to Mr. Lancer's English class without complaint. I took my normal seat next to Danny while Tucker sat behind him. I noticed that we were early, only a few students in their seats at that time. Mr. Lancer wasn't even in the room yet.

However, as soon as the popular crew came in, my head hurt more. I wished that I could never be sick so I wouldn't feel so terrible, but I wasn't even sure that I was sick. I had felt perfectly fine yesterday. Could it have something to do with something I ate? That wasn't likely since the only thing to make me sick would be eating meat, since I was an Ultra-Recycle Vegetarian. I ate well and stayed fit.

So why did I feel as if I was going to throw up?

"Sam, are you sure you're alright?" Danny asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. "You're pale and sickly looking. It's not normal."

"Yeah, maybe you should go home." Tucker suggested.

"No." I said to both of them sternly. My throat burned with an intense fire and my side hurt, almost as if I just finished a very long run after I got millions of stitches in my stomach. They were right, I wasn't feeling well.

"I think I will go-" I started, but Mr. Lancer came into the room then, carrying piles of folders in a giant stack. Some fell to the floor and I noticed that they said POP QUIZ on them. Great, first illness, then a quiz. I had astounding luck today.

"Class, please take out a pen or pencil and clear your desks of everything else. We will be having a pop quiz today on Hamlet."

Half the class groaned, including me, but not because of the test. I felt worse with every passing second. Was I dying like Tucker said? What would my last words be? 'I feel perfectly fine, you idiots!' No, that wouldn't happen because I wasn't dying, and I wasn't in denial. But, man, did I feel like toxic waste!

When all the quizzes were passed out, Mr. Lancer left the room, murmuring that he would be back in five minutes. I stared at the paper hard, trying to ignore the painful jolts in my stomach and failing miserably.

"Sam, go home." Danny muttered. "You're obviously sick. Do you want me to fly you home?"

"No!" I said almost too loudly. The room was quiet as the other students were working, but my answer to Danny's question drew the attention of everyone in the classroom. "I feel - fine." I assured Danny. I was barely able to mutter out the last word, thinking about how much I was lying by that time.

Mr. Lancer came back in the room and sat at his desk. Everyone - except for Danny - went back to their quizzes. I tried to answer the first question, but my head hurt so much that I couldn't concentrate. My hand shook lightly as it grew suddenly colder. My stomach gave one last painful jolt.

Then I found myself on the ground. I wasn't unconscious, but I couldn't find my body, if you could say that. My mind was still in the class, but the rest of me was under water. I could hear the sound of chairs moving against the floor; it echoed through my head.

"Sam!" I heard Danny gasp. He sounded so scared and concerned. I felt a hand pull my shoulder back, forcing me to lie on my back as my hand, which had been pushed over my face, draped over my stomach. "Sam, can you heard me? Sam?"

_Yes_, I wanted to tell him, _I'm here. Please, don't let go of me, whatever you do._ But I couldn't seem to find my voice. I just laid there, my eyes closed with the same pain going through my body since this morning.

"Call 911." Danny said to someone. His voice was becoming more faint with every second as my head clouded up. "She's hardly breathing."

"Hello, 911." A female voice said. It sounded like Valerie, but I wasn't sure. My ears were ringing. "Uh, we have a girl here unconscious. I don't know, I didn't see what happened, but . . .yes she's breathing, but her pulse is low . . ." Valerie walked off talking, so I didn't hear the rest of what she was saying.

"Come on Sam, wake up." Danny muttered.

_Yes_, I thought. _Come on Sam, wake yourself up!_

But when I found enough energy to speak, I felt like screaming, so I decided to keep myself quiet until help came. I didn't dare open my lips for fear that my mouth would give me away. I didn't want anyone to worry anymore than they already did, because the last thing to calm down a crowd of teenagers - and one teacher - was a sixteen year old girl screaming obscenities like firecrackers going off. However, I couldn't just not speak and let Danny worry more.

I forced myself to open my mouth, just to breathe in for a moment, but I felt something trickle down the corner of my mouth. It was sticky and yet, very sweet and salty. It trickled down slowly, and I was forced to cough more. My head fell on my right side and more sticky stuff came from my mouth. I heard several students back away in disgust, others sounded appalled and tried to help me, talking fearfully to one another. I stopped coughing, thankful that my stomach was empty, but my hair was no doubt ruined and bloodstained, as were my clothes.

"Sam!" Danny said somewhere far away.

I wheezed, then fell into blackness, not hearing my heartbeat pound in my head for once.

It felt as if I had entered the real darkness, not the darkness that I usually like since I was a Goth, but the darkness that scares the living hell out of anyone. It used to scare me as a child, but I grew into it. But now, it was happening all over again, only I was in pain this time.

I didn't hear anything around me, which made the darkness even more creepy. It was a silence that could drive you mad and commit suicide. The Killing Silence, as Danny had once called it.

That's when I truly believed that I was dead. However, I wasn't afraid.

Then, a new feeling came, not pain, but something else. I fell into harmony with it, and let it give me back my breath. It knocked the pain out of me, forcing air into my lungs. It felt nice to breathe, for about two seconds. As air came into my mouth a scream escaped, scaring me back to the classroom.

My eyes did not open, but I knew that I was in the classroom again. I could hear the students shuffle on their feet everywhere, and I noted the closeness of others surrounding me. My lungs burned furiously as I tried to keep my mouth closed.

"Jeez, aren't they here yet?" I heard Tucker say to someone.

"No, those airheads." Valerie hissed at him. "But good job to Danny, at least."

What did she mean? What did Danny have to do with this? I tried to think about how that was possible, but the voices from the other students caught my attention.

"What do you think's wrong with her?" A male voice asked.

"Could be anything." Another girl replied. "But, man, was that some scream."

"That was some kiss." I heard a small voice mutter with a laugh. "Gross, look at all the blood."

"Knock it off, Paulina." Danny said. I then realized that he was holding my hand. I would've blushed, that is, if I had been completely conscious.

And with that, the ambulance came. I relaxed some, not much since I was still in pain, and let them take me to the hospital, all the while ignoring the urge to produce more bloodcurdling screams.

Danny's POV

"Sam, go home." I said to my best friend Samantha Manson. She preferred to be called Sam because she said Samantha sounded so kidlike. "You're obviously sick. Do you want me to fly you home?" I asked quietly.

I had been hiding my secret for nearly three years now that I had ghost powers. I didn't need anybody thinking I was any more of a freak than I already was. I was the towns superhero - and to some people the towns enemy - known as Danny Phantom. I had acquired ghost powers from my parents lab accident nearly three years ago. The only people who knew my secret were my best friends, Tucker and Sam, and my older sister, Jazz.

But looking at my friend Sam, with all her Goth-like features - black and the oh-so scary darkness - she didn't look well. She looked so fragile at that point, so pale, so weak. I knew that if I said anything more to her she'd thump me upside the head, but I couldn't help but feel scared for her. I at least wanted to be the good person and try to help her.

"No!" Sam hissed at me. She glared at me, trying to convince me that she was alright. "I feel - fine." She tried to sound confident.

But she wasn't alright, I could tell.

Mr. Lancer came back in the room and sat at his desk. I watched as Sam tried to focus on her pop quiz that we had been assigned to do. I couldn't concentrate when I knew one of my best friends was ill, so I just watched Sam carefully.

Her right hand began to twitch and her eyes began to close. I was about to stand up and ask Mr. Lancer if I could take her home, but she fell over and landed on the ground.

"Sam!" I gasped. By that time, everyone was out of their seats and crowded around Sam. Since I had been sitting next to her - I was very glad that we were always assigned as partners, and thus we automatically sat next to each other every day in every class - I was one of the first people to get her.

She had fallen on her right side with her left arm slung over her face. Her hair fell everywhere around her neck and over her face. I slowly picked her up, being careful, and laid her on her back. Her left arm was now over her stomach, but she was hardly breathing. That wasn't a good sign.

"Sam, can you hear me?" I asked Sam, her eyes closed. "Sam?"

I could hear the other students in the room whisper to each other. They all wanted to know what was wrong with Sam, too. I checked her pulse on her wrist; it was too slow.

"Call 911." I said to Tucker, who had been kneeling next to me. "She's hardly breathing."

Tucker nodded. He said something to Valerie - I was surprised that Valerie even cared about Sam, I knew they didn't like each other that much - and I saw her start dialing her cell phone.

"Hello, 911." Valerie said into the small silver phone. "Uh, we have a girl here unconscious. I don't know, I didn't see what happened, but . . .yes, she's breathing, but her pulse is low . . ." Valerie walked off talking, so I didn't hear the rest of what she was saying.

"Come on Sam, wake up." I muttered under my breath.

After a moment, her mouth opened slightly. She breathed in, but instead of breathing out, or finally talking, crimson blood rolled down the corner of her mouth. Her head fell to the right and she started coughing, blood spitting over the floor. Everyone backed away except for me, Tucker, and Valerie. I wanted so much as to try to help her, but until the paramedics came I could do nothing but watch. I wanted to be an astronaut, not a doctor, so I was useless.

Sam stopped coughing after a few moments, but her pulse grew slower and slower. I couldn't see her breathing anymore through her bloodstained lips. She looked so helpless, so defenseless, and I couldn't stand to watch.

"Sam!" I said, hoping that would wake her up.

She wheezed a few times, then stopped breathing altogether.

"She's not breathing." I said frantically.

"Then do something!" Valerie said.

"Like what?" I asked her.

"CPR, duh." Tucker replied, looking annoyed.

I raised an eyebrow and tried not to blush. Not that I had anything against doing CPR on Sam, it's just that it would be awkward if she suddenly woke up. I hadn't told Sam, although Tucker found out long ago, but I did know how to do CPR ever since Jazz thought it would be safer if I knew and prepared myself in case something happened in the future. So why was I so chicken about not doing it now? However, the thought of putting my lips to hers was a strange thought, considering that we've been friends for as long as I can remember. Nevertheless, I had always enjoyed our fake-out make-outs, but I wouldn't tell Sam that or she'd flip out. I had always had a crush on her since middle school, but I never knew if she felt the same way or not.

"Does anyone know CPR?" Valerie said loud enough for the whole class to hear when I didn't answer Tucker.

If I had thought that students were nervous and scared about this before, it was nothing when they thought that Sam was dead. I was pretty sure I already knew that nobody here knew CPR, but I paid careful attention to the other students.

Nobody knew CPR but me. _Great_, I thought to myself, _this is sure to go well with Tucker_!

Tucker pushed me forward. "Fine." I muttered. I held Sam carefully in my arms, putting her in the right position, hoping that this would work. I bent my head down and pressed my lips carefully against hers. I breathed slowly into her mouth once, twice, hoping that I wasn't blushing - much. Her lips tasted like blood, but it was sweet somehow, mixing with her cherry lip-gloss.

_This is not a kiss, _I thought to myself, _and it most certainly is not a fake-out make-out. I'm helping her._ However, it was hard to resist her pretty lips as they rested on mine. I told myself repeatedly to ignore any part of her mouth - tongue included - and just help her, and I did.

A moment later, I heard her breathing. I sat back up and waited for her to open her eyes, but instead she screamed. It was high pitched, the type of scream you hear in horror movies that shatters glass within seconds. I was about to cover my ears, but Sam bit her lips and started breathing faster. She still wasn't conscious, but at least she was breathing again. I gently smeared away the blood from my lips, ignoring the way the crimson stained my skin burgundy. For that full fifteen seconds, I was able to kiss Sam and not have it be weird or be made fun of by others.

"Jeez, aren't they here yet?" Tucker asked Valerie.

"No, those airheads." Valerie answered. She smiled at me. "But good job to Danny, at least."

Yeah, I was blushing by then.

Sam was still breathing furiously, but still she didn't wake. All the while, everyone was waiting for the ambulance to come and get her, talking animatedly.

"What do you think's wrong with her?" A boy asked.

"Could be anything." A girl replied. "But, man, was that some scream." I had a feeling it was Star who had spoken, catching the sight of Tucker swoon at her from the corner of my eye.

"That was some kiss." A squeaky, Latino voice said. I didn't have to guess to know that it was Paulina who had spoken. Her comment had made me blush of, what I was sure, ten different shades of red. "Gross, look at all the blood."

I snapped. "Knock it off, Paulina." I said, not caring if she felt insulted or if she would get Dash to beat me up later, I just didn't want her saying stuff like that about my friend. It was obvious that she was sick or - dying.

_Please don't let her be dying_, I thought to myself with a swallow. I hadn't realized that I had been holding onto her hand, but I squeezed it, hoping she could come back to the surface completely.

The ambulance came the moment I thought that. I watched as they put Sam on a stretcher and wheeled her off to the hospital. She was still breathing erratically as they took her out of the room. Everyone could hear the sirens fade as the ambulance drove farther away.

"What do you think's wrong with Sam?" I asked Tucker. Thankfully, Mr. Lancer went to go talk to Sam's other teachers and explain her sudden absence, but that left the entire class buzzing around the room fearfully.

"Honestly, dude, I don't know." Tucker replied. He had been scrolling down on his PDA, looking for answers on the Internet about some disease Sam had. "I can't find a single thing that could explain what just happened."

"She'll be okay, though, right?" Valerie asked.

"Of course." I said quickly. "Why wouldn't she?"

"Val, she might just be sick and they might have to do surgery to figure out what's wrong." Tucker said, ignoring my interruption. "But I thought you two didn't like each other."

"I try to be nice to her, she just won't see that I want to help and be her friend." Valerie answered, hanging her head sadly.

"Well, after today, I'm sure she might change her mind." Tucker smiled.

"Why? Danny was the one who saved her life."

I blushed. "Don't remind me."

"Oh, dude, don't give me that crap." Tucker said. He looked even more annoyed than he did when I was arguing about the whole CPR thing before. "You honestly can't say that you didn't enjoy kissing Sam?"

"I didn't kiss her, Tuck!" I replied sternly. "It - it saves lives. If I were to kiss Sam, I wouldn't do it while she was dying with blood sputtering from her lips, now would I? Besides, you would say the same thing if you had to do it."

"Yeah, but Sam and I are just friends." Tucker said matter-of-factly. "You aren't."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, nervous, furious, and curious at the same time.

"Danny, even though I promised I'd keep this a secret for Sam, she likes you. You're just too blind to see that she has real feelings for you. Don't you ever see that sparkle in her eyes when you make her laugh, or when you two do something silly and you both blush at the same time?" Valerie said.

_Yes_, I thought to myself, _but I didn't think Sam actually liked me like I like her. _"Uh, no?"

"Clueless." Valerie and Tucker said at the same time.

"Fenton, what was it like kissing the Goth geek?" Dash laughed from the other side of the room. Almost everyone in the room started laughing except for me, Tucker, and Valerie. However, I could see that some of the students that were laughing weren't because they thought it was funny, but because they didn't want to get kicked down the social ladder.

"Dash, for one thing Sam is not a geek." I said to him, not caring by this point if he smashed my brains into my gut or not. "Two, I did not kiss her, and three, I actually saved someone, which is way more than you could ever do."

"Then why are you blushing, Fenton?" Dash replied.

I turned away from him and back to Tucker and Valerie. "Am I blushing?"

"No." They said in unison. "You're just being paranoid."

I dropped my shoulders and sighed. " Well, we're going to have to wait for her to come back now, won't we?"

They nodded.

ONE WEEK LATER

Sam's POV

I walked back through the halls of Casper High. I had called Danny and Tucker the night before that I would be fine and come to school the next day, but I wasn't prepared for the gossip of my condition to spread so quickly. It seemed when I took one step forward people were whispering urgently to one another, repeating what had happened in homeroom the previous week.

Wasn't there a term 'Forgive and Forget'? I wish they'd follow it.

I walked over to my locker - which was right next to Danny and Tucker's lockers - and spun in my combination. Just when I heard the lock click open I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Danny, Tucker, and Valerie all watching me carefully.

"Hi." I said slowly. They looked happy and terrified at the same time. "So, what's been going on lately?"

"You don't remember anything from last week?" Tucker asked suddenly.

"Sure I do." I answered.

Danny went rigid. What was up with him? Since the accident - whatever had happened since my parents wouldn't fill me in on the details of why I dropped like a rock in the middle of class - I had gone over every little detail that I had heard. I remember coughing blood, blanking out, and then coming back to normal. The scream I let loose still rung in my ears at night, but I wondered how I was able to breath again in the first place.

"Like what?" Valerie asked.

I sighed. "I heard, yes heard, everyone and everything that was happening in the room. I wasn't completely unconscious, you know, I was just - just out of it. I felt sick, woozy, unhealthy. Then, after I was coughing something up, everything went dark. Why're you all staring at me?"

Danny, Tucker, and Valerie looked like statues. A wave of anger passed over me. "What? I know it seems weird, but it did happen!"

"So what happened after that?" Tucker asked.

I blinked. "It was dark. Not necessarily the dark that I like, but more like the kind of darkness that haunts you in your dreams. You know what I mean, right? The Killing Silence. Yeah, so I stood in the dark for a few minutes, I don't know. Next thing I knew, I was able to breathe again. I don't know how, but I did, and then, out of nowhere, I screamed. I heard the other people in the room relax and settle, the ambulance came to get me, and I dozed off, trying so hard not to scream again. Why're you looking at me like that?"

They were all horror-stricken again. Danny looked at me carefully.

"So, you don't know what happened while you were - in the dark?" He asked.

I shook my head. "I just knew that I felt suddenly better. I didn't mean to scream, however." I smiled sheepishly, getting my books from my locker.

"Sam, we'll tell you what happened later, alright?" Valerie asked.

"Okay." I said.

The bell rang and we all went to homeroom, but as soon as I walked in the room, everyone quieted down. I swallowed. I was definitely the source of gossip for the last week, no doubt.

"Welcome back, Miss Manson." Mr. Lancer said, handing everyone flyers while we took our seats.

I nodded, slid lower into my chair, and blushed a brilliant red.

In the middle of Mr. Lancer's lecture on Hamlet, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to look and saw Danny holding a note in his hands. I looked back at Mr. Lancer, who had his back turned to the board, then took the note from Danny. I opened my notebook so it wouldn't be so obvious that I wasn't paying attention to the lesson.

The note read:

_Sam,_

_Tucker, Valerie, and I all talked it over last night to tell you what happened exactly. I told them I'd tell you today at lunch, but I don't think I can wait. You scared me last week, and I didn't want you to die. This might explain some things and fill in the gaps._

_You fell over in your chair - I asked you repeatedly if you were sick, but you said NO! - and were passed out on the ground. Everyone in the classroom rushed over and wanted to know what happened, but I got to you first and checked your pulse. You were barely breathing, and it scared me. I told Tucker - who told Valerie - to call 911. We thought you were dying. When I thought you were coming to, you opened your mouth and started spitting up blood. Everyone freaked, but I never left your side. When you stopped coughing, you stopped breathing. By your explanation this morning that was probably around the time you were in the dark._

_Now this is the part that I can't really explain. See, when you weren't breathing, Tucker suggested CPR, but no one knew CPR, except me. So, I, uh - you get it, right? It was weird to ki- . . . mouth-to-mouth to you, but at least you're alive. Everyone calmed down some, yes, but the ambulance hadn't arrived yet._

_When they finally came, they rolled you out and rushed you to the hospital. Throughout the week no one could talk of anything else but your little, uh, accident. Don't get mad at me for calling your medical condition an 'accident', please. We were worried and your parents wouldn't let us within ten feet of you. Can you say overprotective? Also, I'm sorry I pushed you with questions when you obviously wanted to be left alone while you were sick. I'm truly sorry, and so is Tucker._

_P.S. I really need to talk to you about some things, or we could talk later. Tucker and Valerie wanted to spend the night watching movies at my place tonight. Come, Jazz and my parents want to see that you're still alive, too._

_Danny._

I read the note twice, pausing every now and then to stare blankly at the paper. However, every time I saw the words 'except me' my heart gave a terrible leap, not to mention I noticed how he was about to write 'kissing' and rewrote it to say 'mouth-to-mouth'.

Suddenly, the bell echoed through my head. I hadn't realized what time it was until I looked up at the clock. First period was over, but the rest of the day still hung over my head.

_I can't wait three more classes to talk to Danny about this,_ I thought to myself angrily as I collected my books. I saw Danny leave the room slowly, nodding at me as he left._ Wait, maybe I could talk to him now_.

I caught up to Danny just as he was walking through the hall. "Hey, Danny."

"H-hi Sam." Danny stuttered. He rubbed the back of his neck, a faint blush rising into his cheeks.

"I just wanted to give you the note back. I don't really need it." I gave him back the paper with his sloppy handwriting and sighed. He looked at me again. "We need to talk, but not at lunch."

Danny's face reddened. "I kinda' guessed that. Yeah, see you."

I turned around and headed to my Science class, burning.

LUNCH

I ate my coleslaw slowly, wrinkling my nose at the smell of the celery seeds. Tucker and Valerie had told me everything that happened in the classroom the previous week, ignoring Danny as he went from peach to crimson. I nodded every now and then to let them know I was still listening, but I had the feeling that Danny hadn't told them about the note he gave me in English that morning. When Tucker and Valerie had finished the story, I just nodded, thanking them for saving me.

"Hey, don't thank us, Danny helped you." Tucker said, looking at Danny, who was turning a dangerous shade of red.

I smirked slightly and turned to Danny. "Thank you for saving my life, Danny."

He just nodded.

The rest of the day was tense and quiet from that moment on.

LATER THAT DAY

Valerie, Tucker, and I were all at Danny's house. Since it was Friday, we celebrated the fact that we didn't have any homework by playing games, eating snacks, and watching movies. We were all in Danny's room when his bedroom door burst open.

"SAM!" I heard Danny's family squeal. Maddie - Danny's mom - picked me up and squeezed me, and so did Jazz.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright?" Jazz asked. "What happened exactly? It was all over school what happened last week."

"I'm fine." I gasped in the middle of her vicious hug.

"Well, we're glad you're alright, sweety." Maddie said, smiling.

Then they left, saying that dinner would be ready in a couple hours. I sighed, rubbed my neck where it hurt - Jazz was really strong for someone who looked so puny - and sat back down with my friends.

They laughed.

"Sam, you can't blame them. They just missed you, too, you know." Danny said, chuckling.

"Oh, shut up." I said sarcastically.

"I know what we should play now!" Tucker said. He smiled. "Truth or Dare!"

"I'm game." Valerie, Danny, and I said in unison.

"Okay, I'll go first." Tucker said. He pointed at me. "Sam, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare." I answered. I wasn't scared of anything Tucker could suggest, just as long I didn't have to run around stark naked.

"Okay, um-" Tucker was off in thought. "I dare you to . . .kiss Valerie on the cheek."

I rolled my eyes and leaned over to Valerie. She was glaring at Tucker, who just smirked. I quickly kissed her cheek and sat back next to Danny.

"No big deal." I said, smiling triumphantly. "Valerie, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare." Valerie said.

"I dare you to . . .make a prank call on Paulina."

"Okay, but let me borrow your phone. Paulina knows my number." Valerie replied, holding out her hand.

I gave her my phone and watched her punch in the numbers to Paulina's house. After a moment of ringing - I had told Valerie to put the call on speaker - we heard Paulina's squeaky little voice answer.

"Yes, hello ma'am." Valerie said in a southern voice. I smiled, trying to contain my hysterical laughter. "When should I deliver your thirty cases of fried onion rings to your house?"

"Who is this? I don't like onion rings! They're full of fat!" Paulina squealed.

"Then why did you order so many onion rings if you didn't want them?" Valerie argued.

"Then you can have them." Paulina replied.

That was all it took for all of us to bark out in laughter. We pressed END quickly, so Paulina wouldn't get suspicious, and laughed for what seemed like forever.

"Okay, okay, okay." Tucker said, sitting up from where he collapsed cackling. "Valerie, it's your turn."

"Okay, Danny, Truth or Dare?" Valerie asked Danny.

"Dare." He answered.

"Oh great, we're going to die laughing." I murmured.

"Then I dare you to kiss Sam again like last week." Valerie said evilly.

"It wasn't a kiss!" Danny argued. "It's CPR!"

I blushed, staring at the ground.

"I don't care, just do it, or do you want me to give you a Double Dare?" Valerie raised an eyebrow and smirked.

I was going to kill her, I swear to God.

Danny's eyes widened. He looked at me, sighed, and took my hand. He leaned in and the next thing I knew his lips were on mine. I felt him breathe in, making me turn red. No matter what he said about kissing or CPR, it was still the same, in my perspective. My lips meeting his, that's all that I cared about. The only problem about us at that moment was he didn't stop kissing me.

When Tucker and Valerie started laughing, I pulled away from Danny, burning again. I noticed from the corner of my eye, that his face was a bright red, too. We were silent for a few seconds.

"Okay Tucker, Truth or Dare?" I asked, breaking the awkward silence. I glared at him as he gulped. He knew that if he picked dare I would make him do something he would regret for the rest of his life, but if he picked truth he would be humiliated into spilling something private. And since this game was his idea, he was screwed.

Either way, I win.

"Uh . . .uh." He stuttered. "Do I have any other option here?"

"No. Now hurry up and answer." I said mockingly.

He sighed. "Uh, truth, I guess." He flinched.

I raised an eyebrow. "Have you ever wanted to kiss Valerie?" I had come up with this question a million times in my head, finally glad that I was able to use it now.

Tucker's face darkened. "Yes." He forced a smile, then laughed. "Yes." He repeated.

I looked at Valerie, who just blushed.

The rest of the day was boring as we continued to play Truth or Dare, watching movies, and eating junk food, as any other teenager would after school with nothing to do. Soon Tucker and Valerie left, saying they needed to get home before their parents had panic attacks (and yet they had no idea how over-protective my parents were - yikes!), which meant it was just me and Danny left.

We were watching the end of X-Men when my cell rang. My mom said she wanted me home by dark - it was almost dark; oh well. I started packing up my stuff when I noticed Danny still looked uncomfortable.

"What's the matter, Danny?" I asked, sitting back down on the ground with him.

"What?" Danny asked. He was clearly daydreaming. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking."

"Wow, you're thinking? It's a miracle!" I replied, toning in the heavy sarcasm.

Danny laughed, but it was hollow. He was not acting the same as usual.

"Danny, what really is the matter?" I asked, being completely serious now. If something was going on with my best friend, I wanted to know.

"Sam." Danny said. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck; he was nervous about something. "Sam, we're always going to be best buds, right?"

"I suppose so, yes." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Where is this going?"

Danny was quiet for a second. "And you know that we'd be honest with each other, right?"

Instead of asking more questions, I just nodded. I thought he must be crazy, but maybe . . .

"Well, Sam, now don't rip my head off-"

I had to choke back a laugh.

"-but I think that, well, I think that I might be - be . . .in l-love-" Danny shook his head, his face pink, and stopped mid-sentence.

"Oh." I said. My heart felt as if it sank down through my body, went intangible, and continued to drop through the floor and into the fiery pits of hell. I knew that falling in love with your best friend was utterly sick and impossible, but that didn't stop me. So hearing Danny say he was in love with another girl made me crash and burn - hard. "Well, good luck, I guess."

"Huh?" Danny lifted his head, his face paling instead of flushing.

"Good luck, I guess." I repeated, then sighed. I could feel the tears coming, so I had to say something and get out of there before I broke down completely. "I hope you get the girl that you want, Danny." My voice cracked as I tried to stay calm.

He looked confused. "Sam, what-"

"Never mind about it, okay?" I said calmly. My eyes were wet now. "I'm gonna' go. See you tomorrow." I stood up and grabbed my stuff.

"Sam?" Danny asked.

I didn't turn around. "Bye."

But Danny was faster than I was since my heart had fallen out of its cavity. He grabbed my arm and spun me around, making me face him. I looked down at my combat boots, not wanting him to see my tear-streaked face.

"Sam," I heard Danny say, "what on earth are you talking about? What girl are you talking about?"

I couldn't answer him for fear that my voice would give too much away. My emotions were on a roller-coaster right now, but so were my hormones. His hands were on either side of my arms so I couldn't move. I was trapped.

"Sam?" Danny held me tighter, but I also noticed he stepped closer to me. We were half a foot apart, barely anything between us but his arms gripping me tightly.

"What?" I muttered, clearing my throat so I could talk properly.

"Sam, answer my question. What girl are you talking about?" Danny repeated. He sounded insistent, as if he was eager to get an answer out of me.

"Paulina." I said quietly. "Valerie. Star, possibly."

Danny was quiet for a moment. I snuck a peak at him through the slit in my bangs to see his face. His expression was hurt, confused, tormented - as if he just got ripped apart molecule by molecule. His face was no longer red, but completely white. And worst of all, his eyes were irresistible; I couldn't look away from them.

He started to talk. "Sam, I don't even like Paulina or Valerie any more, and Star is just - eww."

I dared myself to ask the question that was buzzing around my head the most at top speed. "Then who's the girl, Danny?"

He stepped closer to me, cutting deeper into my personal bubble. I could feel his breath release on my forehead and hear his heart pound behind his chest. He licked his lips slowly, making me swoon with frustration. Why wouldn't he just say who he loved and let me get out of there so I could go cry in an alley? It would be much better than to have to listen to him drone on about another girl while I was so deeply in love with him. My heart felt crushed, withered, and sunken as I went through name after name of who it could be.

"Sam. . ." Danny said gently. He relaxed his grip on my arms, making me sigh with relief, but I still stood there, waiting for him to continue. "Sam. . ."

I finally snapped. "Who is it, Danny?" I said urgently. I just wanted to leave, to runaway from him. "Just tell me so I can get out of here! Who do you love?"

"Sam. . ." Danny said again. He didn't seem to understand that I was as paranoid as he was last week. _Wait, could he have met another girl while I was in the hospital all last week? That had to be it!_

But instead of screaming my head off that he was an insensitive jerk, his lips met mine, slowly and gently. I stood completely erect for a second and a half, wondering why Danny was kissing me when he loved another girl. I pulled away from him, blushing madly.

"What was that for?" I asked him. Why had he kissed me? Wait, did he . . .

He tucked a stand of hair out of my face and kissed me again. His second kiss was even better than the first. It was sweeter, more passionate, and I loved it with all my heart. For the last few minutes of him telling me who he was in love with, I was the clueless one.

Can you blame me? Who saw that coming?

I kissed him back, my arms dangling by my side. He released my arms and snuck his hands around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I reached up and braided my fingers through his hair, pulling him closer to me. Nothing could ruin our perfect little moment.

Danny's POV

"What's the matter, Danny?" Sam asked me all of a sudden.

"What?" I asked, stunned. I had been thinking about how to tell Sam that I loved her, but I couldn't think of a way that didn't sound completely cheesy. After Valerie's brilliant dare earlier, I didn't know how to talk to Sam properly anymore. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking."

"Wow, you're thinking? It's a miracle!" Sam replied sarcastically.

I laughed, slowly and stupidly, trying to figure out how to speak normally again.

"Danny, what really is the matter?" Sam asked seriously.

"Sam." I said. I looked her in the eyes - those beautiful lavender eyes - and rubbed the back of my neck. "Sam, we're always going to be best buds, right?"

"I suppose so, yes. Where is this going?"

I thought for a second. It was going in the direction of pure stupidity. What if she didn't like me how I liked her? Would she laugh if I said I was in love with her? No, Sam wouldn't do that, but she would freak. But I had to try. "And you know that we'd be honest with each other, right?"

She hesitated, but nodded.

"Well, Sam, now don't rip my head off, but I think that, well, I think that I might be - be . . .in l-love-" I stopped myself from finishing the sentence and put my head in my hands, looking away from her. Maybe if I let her think about what I just said she wouldn't hate me as much, but this did complicate our friendship now.

"Oh." Was all she said. Then it was quiet. What did she mean by 'oh'? Did that mean she was considering what I was saying, thinking it over? Or was she freaked out and didn't want to talk to me anymore?

"Well, good luck, I guess."

"Huh?" I looked up at her. She looked heartbroken. What had I said to make her so unhappy?

"Good luck, I guess." Sam repeated. She sighed and I could see her eyes reddening. Oh God, I was making her cry. Wait, why was she crying? "I hope that you get the girl that you want, Danny." Her voice cracked as she said it.

As did my heart.

"Sam, what-"

"Never mind about it, okay?" Her eyes were wet. Oh God. "I'm gonna' go. See you tomorrow." She stood up, grabbed her stuff, and headed for the door.

"Sam?" I stood up and walked closer to her.

She didn't turn around. "Bye."

_No_.

I caught her by the arm and spun her around. She wouldn't look me in the eye, instead looking at the ground. However, I could see that her face was wet and her cheeks were cherry. We were less than a foot away from each other. Oh, how I wanted to fill in the last remaining inches between our lips, but I had to know what Sam was upset about.

"Sam, what on earth are you talking about?" I asked her, not letting go of her arms. A thought crossed my mind suddenly. "What girl are you talking about?"

She didn't answer.

"Sam?" I stepped closer still, being careful not to bump into her.

"What?" She muttered, her voice squeaking.

"Sam, answer my question. What girl are you talking about?" I repeated. I wanted to know what was on her mind, why she was crying, and how I could help.

"Paulina." Sam said finally. I couldn't believe my ears. "Valerie. Star, possibly."

I gaped at her. How could she think that I was in love with any of those girls when I was so clearly in love with her? I noticed how she peaked up at me through her bangs, her eyes red with tears.

"Sam, I don't even like Paulina or Valerie any more, and Star is just - eww." I shuddered as the thought of dating Star swept through my head.

Sam sighed. "Then who's the girl, Danny?"

I stepped closer to her, our noses almost touching. I could hear her frantic breathing as she continued to wait for my answer. By instinct, I licked my lips slowly, watching her carefully. Her eyes melted and her cheeks were painted red.

"Sam. . ."I told her. I relaxed my grip on her arms. "Sam. . ."

"Who is it, Danny?" Sam said urgently. "Just tell me so I can get out of here! Who do you love?"

"Sam. . ." I repeated. Why couldn't she understand that I was talking about her? _Maybe if I showed her she would know. . . _My head bent downward and my lips brushed hers. I kissed her gently, wanting to see what her reaction was. She was frozen in place, probably ready to run away from me and wondering why her best friend just kissed her.

She pulled away from me, blushing.

"What was that for?" She asked.

I choked down a laugh. She was being the clueless one now, not me - for once. I tucked a strand of her hair out of her face and kissed her again, and, almost instantly, I felt her kiss me back. She tasted like cherry, her favourite flavour of lip gloss, I remembered. I dropped my hands from her arms and snaked them around her waist, pulling her closer to me. Her hands came up and twisted in my hair, pulling me closer to her. Our lips connected perfectly and nothing could ruin this moment.

"Danny? Sam?" A voice said in a surprised tone.

I jumped at the sound of Jazz's familiar snoopiness, and tried to seem innocent about the whole thing. I took two steps away from Sam, making sure that she understood what was going on. I noticed her face was red - cherry red; again.

Jazz was red, too. "Don't mind me, I didn't mean to intrude or anything." She sounded nonchalant about it, as if she was enjoying watching me be embarrassed.

"Um . . ." I mused.

"Actually, I should be going." Sam said. She still had her bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you Monday, Danny." She walked out the door, past Jazz, and down the stairs. I could hear the front door open and close, then silence.

Jazz raised an eyebrow at me. "Finally, huh?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked her, swallowing.

She opened her mouth as if she was about to protest, then shut it. She waved her hands over her head. "You know what, fine. If you don't want to admit that you're totally in love with Sam yet, fine by me. I just hope Tucker and Valerie don't blow any steam when they see you two together at school." She walked out and closed my door.

I picked up my cell and dialed Tucker.

"Yo, what's up, dude?" Tucker said on the third ring.

"Um . . ." I tried to think of a way to explain this to him. "Hey, Tuck, you know how Sam and I-"

"You two are finally together?!" Tucker interrupted.

I sighed. "Yeah."

"Congrats, dude!" Tucker replied. "I gotta' go, but good luck with Sam!" The line went dead.

"Good God!" I whispered angrily to myself. I laid back on my bed, wondering what school would be like on Monday.

Sam's POV

I returned home, blushing madly, hoping my parents wouldn't notice my absence.

Boy, was I wrong.

"Samantha Manson!" My mother squealed when I closed the front door. Her red hair bounced around her shoulders and her eyes were like a shimmering aqua fire. My father stood beside her, rubbing her shoulders, glaring at me from behind his reading glasses.

"Where have you been?" My mother asked in her high-pitched voice. "It's after your time-limit, young lady."

"Time-limit?" I asked, my voice monotone.

"Where were you?" My mother repeated.

"I was at Danny's house with him, Tucker, and Valerie." I shrugged my shoulders. "You know Danny and Tucker already, plus it's a Friday."

"That's no excuse to be late." My father cut in.

I rolled my eyes and went upstairs, ignoring their annoying gripes on 'time-limits'. They seriously needed to get out more. I walked down the long hallway and into my bedroom. The room was black - hello, this is my bedroom we're talking about - and perfectly organized. I always liked it neat and tidy.

I dropped my stuff on my bed and laid back, my head hitting my fluffy black pillow.

A knock came outside my room. I groaned and said. "Who is it?"

"Sammykins." My mom said. "I have something to tell you."

"Go away." I murmured, closing my eyes. I wanted nothing more than to be able to dream about Danny and our kiss. _Holy mother of Jesus, that kiss was hot!_

I heard my door open and close, then footsteps coming towards my bed. I sighed and opened my eyes, extremely annoyed at my mother at the moment. "What?" I sat up.

"Samantha." She said. Her voice was serious, as if she meant business. "You wanted to know what happened at the school last week, correct?"

I raised an eyebrow and nodded eagerly. At least someone was finally cluing me in.

She sighed and I could see the tears threaten to release themselves already. Her voice cracked as she spoke. "You had Tuberculosis. It's a bacteria that infects the lungs-"

"So that's why I was hacking blood last week." I interrupted. I stared at her. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

She looked down. "I was trying to protect you."

"But Tuberculosis is - very contagious." I replied quietly.

"Not anymore." She answered. "You're cured, trust me. Your father and I had no idea you were sick until the doctor's told us you were. At first we thought it was just the flu, but then the T word came up, and well-" A tear trickled down her cheek. She wiped it away. "It doesn't matter now, though. You're fine and you'll stay fine."

"Then why does it sound like you're not telling me something?" I asked.

"You may get sick again-" She paused. "-not like last week, however, don't worry. You may lose a little weight, some loss of apatite, maybe throwing up, but nothing major, Sammykins."

"I sure hope so, mother." I said quietly.

She kissed my forehead and walked out of my room, leaving me alone in the dark.

MONDAY AT SCHOOL

Danny's POV

I closed my locker door and saw Sam coming down the hall.

_Finally_, I thought. I smiled when she walked over to me, slightly pink. She smiled at me.

"Hey, Danny." She said.

"Hey, Sam." I replied.

"LOVEBIRDS!" Someone yelled.

I turned around and saw Tucker laughing with Valerie, staring at me and Sam. I had the right mind to go over and smack some sense into him, but Sam touched my shoulder. I felt as if I was melting into a pile of goo at her gentle touch.

"I kinda' have to tell you something." She murmured.

I raised my eyebrows at her, forgetting all about our laughing friends down the hall. "Shoot Sam, what is it?" Her expression looked worried, as if she wasn't sure how to say what she was trying to say. I sure didn't hope she was sick again. Now that would suck - a lot.

"Well-" She looked over my shoulder. "Tucker and Valerie need to hear this, too."

THIRTEEN MINUTES LATER

". . .and my mother didn't tell me any of this until last night." Sam sighed.

I stared at her; Tucker and Valerie followed suit.

"Damn, does everybody have to look at me like that?" Sam said, shifting uncomfortably.

"But you're fine now, right?" I asked. "I mean, you're not going to drop like a stone in the middle of class again, are you? That was scary as hell."

Sam laughed and shook her head. "Yes, I'm fine now." She paused. "However, the bad news is it's very contagious. So, Danny-" She looked as if she was going to cry. "-go to the doctor. Last week was definitely - contagious."

I laughed, not in the least bit sounding believable. My voice was hollow, but it was the truth. "Sam, I've had all of my vaccines. I got the Tuberculosis shot when I was three, so I'm fine."

"Good." She sighed, then she hit my arm.

"Ow." I said weakly. I smiled at her. "What was that for?"

"For not telling me that before, you butthead." She laughed.

I took her hand, ignoring the scoffs Tucker and Valerie gave us. "Yes, I'm the butthead in this relationship."

All four of us laughed, that is, until Tucker suddenly shouted into the halls. "Okay people! Anyone who has money for me, pay up! It happened!"

Almost every student in the halls groaned.

"TUCKER!" Sam and I gave him a double smack on the back, shoving him into Valerie.

They blushed, looking away from each other.

"What? I know people who knew for sure you two would end up together." Tucker replied.

I wrapped my hands around Sam's waist, holding her back so she wouldn't kill Tucker. She tensed, then leaned back against me, smiling. "Hello boyfriend." She whispered in my ear.

I kissed her, full on the mouth. She tasted like grapefruit. Yummy. I tuned out the wolf whistles immediately and just stood there, holding her, kissing her, having her kiss me back. After all, she was my girlfriend.

_My girlfriend - my Sam_, I thought. _I like the sound of that._


End file.
